Science journalism Prospects in the Digital Age

Science journalism at any point in the history has never been so important as today. People in the world are encountered different challenging issues. the potential impacts of GM crops; the mysterious die-off of bees; individualized medical treatment via genomics; climate disruption; the prospect of bringing extinct species back to life. Meanwhile, there is no independent and evidence-based information. Historically, most people rely on the media and these media present packages of information for large numbers of readers/ listeners/viewers. In this way, people inadvertently encounter science information almost as they watch TV news, read the morning newspaper or a front page of a magazine in the news stand. While that is still prevalent in many countries, today’s citizens rely increasingly on searching information in the internet. Science journalists are also active in the internet by blogging and placing stories in a variety of web-only outlets. But finding good information requires effort on the part of the individual searcher, an effort that the typical individual rarely makes. Chapter 1 of this paper discusses these conundrums and what they bring for the future of science journalism. It first tracks the historical evolution of the field, then moves to the characteristics of modern science journalists and their media outlets. It ends by returning to the challenges that lie ahead.